


A song in the stone

by Rogercat



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Dwarf/Elf Relationship(s), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Married Couple, Massage, Older Characters, Second Age, Tenderness, eastern Narvi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:35:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28835703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rogercat/pseuds/Rogercat
Summary: When Celebrimbor is haunted by memories from the past, Narvi is there for him
Relationships: Celebrimbor | Telperinquar/Narvi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5
Collections: 2021 My Slashy Valentine





	A song in the stone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [senalishia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/senalishia/gifts).



> Senalishia, I tried to follow what you wanted for the story and thought that this hopefully matches in some degree while also feeling like a sweet moment between them. I enjoyed to write about those two anyway // Rogercat

Celebrimbor knew that being a smith and working with metals laid in his blood, even if it was gently balanced out with other skills that his paternal family had. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all famous smiths in Valinor, holding the favor of Aulë himself at one point in past times. 

“But I do not want to be like them...I want a legacy of my own, to be known separately in history for something else than just for my bloodline….” 

The memories of his childhood in Valinor, the exile to Middle-earth, the many events of the First Age. All of those haunted his dreams on really bad nights, when he could not sleep and felt awful the day after. He was a Elf, but perhaps this was a side-effect of being married to a spouse who is a mortal. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X

“Having a bad night again?” Narvi asked early the next morning, as they were still laid in bed together, neither one feeling for getting up yet. It was warm here in their bedchamber, and breakfast could be fixed at any time they wanted. Today was not planned to have anything to do with work, so they could be lazy if they so wished. 

“I dreamt that I would always be viewed by my bloodline first and not for my skills or personality,” Celebrimbor responded in a low voice, shuddering at the memory of how real that dream had seemed. But perhaps the worst had been to hear phantoms of his old friends, many now long dead, accuse him of actually wishing their deaths as a proof of his bloodline. That he had been willing to sacrifice them and toss them away when the time was right, all to ensure his own survival. 

“It really felt like it would have been real...surrounded by them, all looking like waiths and I could not find a way to escape…” 

It was better to be honest with Narvi, the Elf had found out early in their friendship that turned ínto romance later, for that was an important part of the Eastern Dwarven clans because they would often trade with the realms and kingdoms of Men in the East. And by hailing from the Orocarni, moving here to Khazad-dûm not long after becoming a legal adult, Narvi would often view things differently than people here in the East. 

“No wonder you did tense up and nearly kicked me out of the bed, then, with a nightmare like that. Stiff in the neck and all, you will have a harder time to do anything useful today if you can not relax. Turn over on your stomach.” 

Somehow, it always worked wonders for Celebrimbor to get a proper Dwarven massage, as he called it, for with the bigger hands and physical strength of the Dwarves, Narvi could make him relax in a manner that few Elves had managed in the past. And it always felt nice afterwards. 

“By the Seven Fathers, how can you tense up so much in sleep when you are supposed to  _ relax? _ ” 

Narvi showed his strength again by gently kneading the tense shoulders and neck of his husband, making Celebrimbor go limp like a pleased cat because there was no way he could keep being tense after getting this treatment. Really, other Elves had no idea what they were missing when refusing to test Dwarven massage, Celebrimbor only pitted them because he knew how good it felt after a long day in the forge or other hard work with the body. 

“I dreamt about that time when...events in Nargothrond went wrong.”

There was a reason to why he strongly suspected that his uncle Celegorm was not the first rejected suitor to Princess Luthien of Doriath, for example, but that the princess had been used to her rejected suitors not daring to do anything in response to the rejection because of her father being the King of Doriath and gotten a major shock over that Celegorm, as a Noldo born in a completely different culture and its belonging customs, did not accept the rejection quietly and did not bother her again afterwards. His uncle had been proud and deeply hurt by the whole event, yes, but Celebrimbor also recalled how he somehow felt creeped out by the Princess who was half-Maia. 

“You thought the Doriath Princess fey, somehow, right? That she felt out of place in a manner you could not put in words at the time.” 

Narvi knew the tale as his Elven husband had told it before, and personally thought that personality spoke more than physical beauty since a fair face could hide a rotten character, which was how he saw the whole thing, Luthien using her beauty and love for Beren to indirectly cause trouble that in the long run, would come back to haunt everyone involved in the mess. 

“Nah. Doubtful that your uncle would have enjoyed marriage to her in the long run, I think. You Elves do not marry for alliances like Men do and while a big alliance against Morgoth would undoubtedly have changed history, I think that once he no longer was easily charmed by her, it would be unhappiness on both sides. You have spoken of his personally enough many times for me to have a clear image of what could possibly happen if he fell out of love and could not get out of a hasty marriage.”

The very same reasons that Celebrimbor had used to tell his father that a marriage between his uncle and the Princess of Doriath would be a horrible idea. And how he later had been proven right in the most unwanted manner possible, together with everything else in Nargothrond that haunted his life. Kind Orodreth and his Sindarin wife Calen who had allowed him to stay in Nargothrond as a common blacksmith after that he openly served ties with his birth family, sweet Finduilas who had stayed faithful to Gwindor despite how changed he was after his captivity in Angband and many other friends, who sadly had not survived the First Age. 

“Alright, time for you to stop brooding and get that tunic on yourself. We need some food.” 

Of course Narvi would expect him to make breakfast this morning, if only for that Celebrimbor needed to focus on what he was doing so the food was not burnt or something. 

  
  


After nearly three quarters of a century with a Dwarven spouse, Celebrimbor had learned to cook most of the foods that Narvi was used to from his childhood in the Orocarni. Some of the food dishes could not be made due to that some distinguishing ingredients was not found here in the West, or only grown in the East because of the different climates, as well the often time consuming, long transport in trade. 

“Hooo, I am sure that you would manage to pass a cooking test now, if you ever were to visit the Orocarni in the future. If only for the basic food dishes that are everyday food for us in the East!” Narvi smiled as they sat down to eat herb omelette, yoghurt with honey and pieces of old bread that Celebrimbor had roasted to have with some garlic butter. 

“Well, I am sure that the family would be pleased with that I found love with a stone carver, several of my relatives have been known for being Masters in various crafts, after all, though I am sure that they would be surprised that you are a Dwarf!” 

Narvi laughed, a sound that always made him feel warmer inside and banishing any dark thoughts from his mind. His husband may have aged with all the signs of soon entering his old age because he was mortal, but Celebrimbor still thought him handsome in a different way now than in the past. 

“And catching a husband with royal blood in his veins is a rarity because our royal Houses who hail from the Seven Fathers are not big in number if you do not count side-lines from younger sons!” 

By Dwarven standards, Celebrimbor had been a good marriage match despite that his family no longer counted as royalty, his skills in the forge ensured a good income and he got along well with his coworkers and friends who did not mind his family history. Narvi, as the son of a successful merchant and a rare female seamstress in the Orocarni, had grown up with knowing that marriage was a part of life that you better not end up regretting later. There were a lot of reasons why you were not allowed to marry at a very young age, for example, and why long courtships over a year were encouraged so both partners would get to know each other before the wedding. And their relationship had started as a friendship as they had found themselves trusted by Durin II to work together as a team to craft the Doors of Durin that now was their shared masterwork, giving them a good ground to see what flaws they both had before falling in love. 

“I am glad that I have you as a light in my life, Narvi. Our time together may be short, but our memories together shall always help me in difficult times.” 

The Dwarf smiled at him, his black eyes ever so full of attention that Celebrimbor once again felt like the first time he realized his feelings for Narvi, that he was more than just a very close friend. Their dominant hands joined over the now empty plates where the food had been laid earlier, and they shared a tender smile at each other. 


End file.
